Miss Audrey Hepburn, whom we all know and love, was indeed that picture, and although she was a fashion icon, she was so much more. She was a true lady.

It is not the vintage clothes that you wear, but the heart you nurture and grow.

That’s awfully difficult in a world of Monroe’s, where being a woman is frowned upon unless you’re showing off as much skin as possible.

But I’m sitting down to write this post to tell you one thing:

We need to be young women of class. We are not to conform to the arbitrary norms of our ungodly culture, nor are we to rest in mediocrity.

The feministic mantra that has pervaded our society has been beating the idea of competing with men into our heads since we were born.

But we are not to compete with men, because the God of the universe knitted us together to be a different creature entirely.

A creature so beautiful, so wonderful, so very privileged.

We are to be women, equipped with the Word, and strengthened by our Heavenly Father.

So I challenge you, my dear sisters in Christ, to be the best darn woman you can be because it is an absolutely dazzling occupation.

(disclaimer: I’m not saying you can’t go to college, have a career, or that your only worth is in marriage, etc. All of that is fine, so hush.)

Here are a few tips that both men and women could use to embrace the life God has given us:

1. Taking the time to create.

It’s making beautiful everything that comes into your lap.

Making your space your own.

While men have this ability as well, women have a special knack for organizing and decorating and creating a place to work/cook/read/whatever (although it doesn’t always stay neat and tidy =P)

2. Get your head out of the internet.

Yeah. I’m preaching to myself here. I’m an internet (Twitter?) addict. And I’m TRYYYYING so hard to break that habit, but I fail so miserably every day.

But the first step in doing almost anything is to be present. I know when I’m listening to my brothers tell a story or doing my schoolwork, I’m thinking about what to tweet next, who I need to reply to, that thing I saw on Pinterest, how to pose my books for an Instagram photo.

To quote Jim Elliot: “Wherever you are, be all there.”

That’s really impacted my life.

If I’m brutally honest, I’m not “all there” probably 85% of the time.

So when you’re doing anything, make sure your state of mind is in that task, whatever it may be.

3. Be a blessing to others.

Go out of your way to help someone, have them over for dinner, or talk with them on a spiritual level. Not just with your friends, but people you don’t know very well or the 14-year-old girl who might just look up to you.

God has called us to serve and be hospitable to one another. But that takes a lot of effort.

It ain’t easy to sacrifice your Netflix time after church and have people over, or remember to write a thank-you card to someone, or invite your neighbor’s kids to the movie with you.

Or share the cupcakes you’ve made. Now THAT is difficult.

4. Know God above all else.

Do you want to be a true woman? Then you must first know and love and obey the One who created you. In any aspect of life, if you get so caught up in what the world wants and thinks, your soul is a stake. Just like a boy can only become a man when he submits himself to Christ, we can only become women by adorning ourselves with the Word.

Whether or not you’re going to college, raising a family, working at a business, or an overseas missionary…you can always possess ways of being classy, and embracing the feminine side that God gave you.